Travel Stories: Bangkok

I did a lot of to and fro while planning my trip to Bangkok. I had five days to burn and a lot of options in my hands. I could stay in Bangkok, see Ayutthaya, travel to Chiang Mai, or do all of those. The problem was I was already at the airport but I still hadn’t made up my mind. I ended up spending all my time in Bangkok and I don’t regret it.

Unfortunately, because of the weakling that I am, I didn’t do much on my first day in Bangkok. Understandably, too, since I waited at the airport for 7 hours for the airport rail link to open during which I watched a movie (Her), read a few pages of a book, had a few cups of coffee, squinted at maps of downtown Bangkok, and planned out some blog entries (apparently, you’re supposed to do that when you’re blogging).

I spent the next day venturing into the the gorgeous wats of Bangkok. I took the Chao Phraya Express Boat to hop the temples. The Grand Palace was pretty astounding and Wat Phra Kaew was the epitome of opulence (too bad you can’t take a photo of the Emerald Buddha). My favourite temple, though, Wat Pho in which you’ll find the reclining Buddha.

A few hours was spent checking out the shopping spots of Siam. There’s Platinum, CentralWorld, Siam Paragon, Siam Center, and so on. Your cheaper options are MBK, Siam Square, and the street stalls that sell the most adorable clothes. My favorite shopping conquest was visiting the Chatuchak Weekend Market. That place didn’t just sell clothes and souvenirs. They also had china, home furnishings, and art. Yes people. Art.

As always, the most enjoyable part of visiting for me was walking around the streets and observing people and checking out places. I spent an afternoon at Khao San Road and Soi Rambuttri. It seems like a practical place to stay at since it’s filled with hostels, restaurants, watering holes, and an assortment of tourist establishments. I got a Thai massage at a spa along Rambuttri and it was amazing. Thailand is also famous for having a variety of rooftop bars where the view is insanely breath-taking.

The locals are nice and the women are well-dressed. Word on the Internet is that you can get easily scammed in this city but thankfully that didn’t happen to me. In fact, I experienced nothing but kindness and hospitality. It might have something to do with locals usually mistaking me for a Thai but everyone has their own experience I guess.

The majority of people I know who have visited Bangkok really enjoyed and I’m glad to say that I did too. How about you? How was your Bangkok experience?

Published by Chris Manansala

23-year old tummy stuffer and camera clicker from Manila who watches too many movies and crime-solving shows. I eat everywhere, travel a lot, and can make a bad-ass batch of brownies.
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